Recent patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,285,708 and 5,375,495, disclose optical alignment systems for power saws that have circular blades. Such optical alignment systems typically utilize a single laser generator that projects a line on a workpiece to indicate the location at which one of the sides of the blade will enter the workpiece and purport to facilitate cutting the workpiece.
Because power saw blades have varying thicknesses, there is a need for an optical system that may be used to indicate accurately the width of the material to be removed by the blade in a cost-efficient and convenient manner.